Just Imaginary
by LeaD
Summary: After the defeat of his greatest enemy Harry finds himself eating lunch with the once grat Gilderoy Lockheart. With the help of his childhood imaginary friend he discovers he can't stay in St. Mungo's. But what if the imaginary friend was actually a witch


Disclaimer: I do not Own Harry Potter… only the Genius J.K. Rowling does. Her kids must be lucky… probably read the stories before they even come out!!

He lay on the bed holding his tall body while looking at the white wall straight in his line of vision. His glasses were collecting dust on the side table next to his bed. He felt so blank… so empty. Sure the fight had sent him here, St. Mungo's to begin with, but his loss of emotion and what to make of the few he had kept him here. Now he sat at lunch with Gilderoy Lockheart every Tuesday only to listen to the guy talk about the autographs he could give him for his friends that came to visit. Visit… He rolled over squinting at the clock. They were late…

"Or rather… They're not coming anymore…" He muttered to himself thinking about the few missed visits.

They had sent a card promising to visit today and well… they weren't here. It was safe to assume they're tired of waiting for him to get better, or maybe they're finally fed up with his little attitudes he'd give them if they even hinted towards Graduation day. The day had been beautiful and sunny, somehow Voldemort managed to control himself until just after the ceremony ended. Since every enemy Voldemort had made was in one place what better time to strike. How he managed to get onto the ground of Hogwarts without Dumbledore knowing in the least bit, still baffled everyone.

"But now he's dead. I almost died, and they label me as crazy when I think of the lives lost because of it all." A lump in his throat seemed to pick up immensely. He couldn't help it. If he thought his fifth year was an emotional time, sixth and seventh years were worst. Not to mention on the happiest day of his life had been ruined because of an enemy he never intended to make. He put his hands over his ears digging his fingertips into the mass of black unkempt hair. "Cedric Diggory… Sirius Black… Mom… Dad…" He rattled off a few he could think of. He knew there were more… So much more. "Ron and Hermione think they can tell me it'll be okay… They just don't understand!!" He curled up in a ball in an attempt to stop the tears from spilling over. He shuddered a bit trying to force them down. "No one understands…"

"I understand…" A voice made him jump. He lifted his head to look at the person… err… apparition before him. His heart caught in his throat. For a moment his heart stopped. Was his mother here? No she was far too young to be his mother. Her hair and eyes, very similar but her face isn't right.

"No one understands…" He uttered simply believing that the apparition before him would vanish, simply because he had been taking the pills given to him everyday.

"I do… Do I have to convince you of this again, Harry?" The being became quickly annoyed. "While I may not have been marked by the dark lord once and didn't have to defeat him nearly losing my life. I lost both my parents at infancy left with my evil grandparents from hell…"

"You…" He lifted his head to inspect the being. "I… know you??" She frowned a little bit waving her hand on the bed next to her. There a swirling cloud hovered over the bed. He picked up his glasses and for the first time in a while he wiped off his glasses and put them on his face. He stared into the swirling mass. Inside he saw a six year old version of himself as he was roughly shoved into his old space beneath the stairs of the Dursley home.

_"Stay there and you're getting no dinner either." _He could see Uncle Vernon. Harry stared at the door feeling as if part of him had suddenly shattered. And he began to cry.

_"It's so lonely in here…"He whimpered finding he was ignored._

_"No it isn't…" A small voice made him jump. Next to him was a little girl with jet black hair and dark eyes. "I'm happy now that you're here."_

_"I'm always here…" He looked at her. _

_"No, I mean here where I can finally talk to you. I've wanted to for a long time. You just seemed so sad."_

_"My Aunt and Uncle are mean!!!" He whimpered._

_"I know… I've seen it. I would've come to you sooner, but my powers were still too weak as was yours" There was an awkward silence that followed_

_"You'll stay here with me when they put me in here?"_

_"So long as you believe anything can happen I'll stay with you Harry."_

"You… You're my… imaginary friend." He pointed his index finger at her making her smile and shake out her red locks turning back to jet black. Once that had been done the smile quickly washed away from her delicate features. Her fingers deafly reached out to stroke his cheek. A slight shiver rushed through his body as goose bumps appeared on his flesh.

"That's a touch I haven't felt in years."

"Because you didn't need me. You had wonderful friends who kept you happy on those lonely nights when the Dursley's locked you away." She looked at him softly. "Word of your victory has spread around quickly, also word of you being locked up here in St. Mungo's. What happened to you Harry?"

"Everything went wrong after you left. I mean things were great for the first few years, but they only got worst…" He turned his back on the imaginary being. Another chill ran down his spine as he noticed her arms wrap around him.

"Harry, I want to help make you better. Your friends miss you, immensely." She whispered. "You don't belong here, you know that and I know that."

"You can't help me… You're just an imaginary friend." He muttered.

"So what if I am… Continue the way you are and you won't get out of here. Might as well let an imaginary friend help." She whispered as he just sat there pondering the situation around him.


End file.
